Final Fantasy: Legends of the Zerg Invasion
by The Talk Of The Town
Summary: Kerrigan has her eyes set on Final Fantasy 7's world...can AVALANCHE, Jim Raynor, and Zeratul stop her and the Zerg?
1. Default Chapter Title

Hello, and thanks for reading my little spiel here. The usual disclaimers: Kerrigan, Raynor,  
and Zeratul belong to Blizzard Entertainment; the FF7 crew belong to Square/EA and Hironobu  
Sakaguchi (I would like to thank Mr. Sakaguchi, Square, and Blizzard for gracing our   
imaginations with such fantastic characters)  
  
This is my first attempt at fanfiction of any sort, and came from my playing Starcraft endlessly  
for around a week straight, and searching the fanfiction.net archives for fanfics of it, and   
finding none. I suddenly got this burst of inspiration...hope you like it. It may get longwinded  
at times, but try and get through it, it reads more like a novel than anything.  
I apologize for any plotholes and any liberties I took in either of the components of this story,   
like I said this is my first try. I take any criticism, so feel free to comment however you wish. You can e-mail   
responses to thrash58@aol.com, and like I said, feel free to comment however you wish. If you think  
it's good, then please write me and tell me to write more...I want to see what people think before  
continuing. Thanks again  
  
  
  
  
  
Final Fantasy: Legends of the Zerg Invasion  
By: Dark Templar Thrash  
  
  
Chapter 1: Queen of Blades Ascendant  
  
Sarah Kerrigan sat on her slimy throne lost in thought. The Zerg Queen of Blades, only weeks   
before, had succeeded in destroying the remnants of the United Earth Directorate, the Terran Dominion,  
and the mighty Protoss fleet. Now, she and her Zerg Swarm were the be all and end all of this sector   
of space. No one remained to counter her power; the remainder of the Protoss were on Shakuras, mourning both  
the loss of their Matriarch Raszagal, and the disappearance of the Praetors of the Dark Templar and the High  
Templar, Zeratul and Artanis. The Terran Dominion was reduced to a tiny fraction of it's former power, and this  
was scattered over several planets well outside of what was now Zerg space. The United Earth Directorate, beaten  
by the Zerg, retreated back to Earth, never to return to these sectors. All that remained was the Zerg Swarm. This  
was what Kerrigan wanted, but she couldn't help but feel as if she needed to conquer something else. The taste of   
conquest was not easily sated, and Kerrigan's wasn't, not in the least. There were problems with this though: Zerg   
"technology" didn't exactly have interstellar capability. The Zerg are capable of surviving the vacuum of space, but  
they have no way to transport between systems easily and quickly. Therefore, they were basically "stuck" in the systems   
they had conquered. This weighed on Kerrigan heavily, as she wanted more than that. She thirsted for more planets to   
conquer, more species to enslave.  
  
She wasn't always like this. There was a time when she was Lieutenant Sarah Kerrigan, highly trained Ghost for the   
Confederacy forces, then for the Sons of Korhal faction that wanted to get rid of the corrupt confederacy. There was a time  
when she cared about humans in general, and Jimmy Raynor in particular. She didn't understand these feelings she had for   
him; all she knew was that he was different, he was special, and she couldn't be comfortable when she wasn't fighting by his   
side. That all changed when she was left to rot by Arcturus Mensk, and was captured by the Zerg. The Overmind saw her   
extreme psionic potential, and quickly brought her into it's fold. After leaving her chrysalis, she was the Zerg's Queen  
of Blades, a title that she liked. She retained the memories of her past, but now all she cared about was the will of the  
Overmind. Then, Tassadar and the Protoss destroyed the Zerg Overmind, and Kerrigan regained her free will. But, she   
discovered something quite...amusing. She found she had control over Broods much like a cerebrate does. She also realized  
that she was now evil, through and through. This fact delighted her, her corruption. Especially since now she could act   
upon it.  
  
Now, however, there was nothing left to conquer in this sector of space. Added to the fact that her "right-hand man",  
Samir Duran, had mysteriously vanished, she had nothing to do. All this was crossing her mind as she suddenly sensed a   
report from a patrol of Overlords and Mutalisks patroling the uncharted planets towards the edge of the hospitable zone of  
the sector. They had found an unusual rift in spacetime, not unlike the Protoss warp rifts, but much more powerful.   
Kerrigan thought to herself, "Hmmm.....could the Protoss still be looking to remove me?" Then, she sent a command to the   
patrol, "Continue to monitor the rift, and figure out if it's actually a Protoss rift. I have an unusual feeling that it  
might not be...." "This could be just the thing I need," mused Kerrigan, "just the thing I need indeed......"  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: Raynor and Zeratul  
  
A shadow passed over Zeratul's face as he listened to Duran speak of these....monstrosities. A Zerg/Protoss hybrid, was  
this man mad? What was his hope in accomplishing this? He quickly grew more and more distressed. Suddenly, he recieved an   
incoming transmission from a Terran battlecruiser in orbit above the planet.   
  
"Who would this be? No one knew of this mission, not even many of my Protoss brethren" Zeratul breathed into his   
communicator.   
  
"I didn't know about this mission," came the curt reply from an all-too familiar voice. "I was cruising around here,   
detected Protoss bio-signatures, and figured I'd try your number," James Raynor said with the usual cavalier wit that was his   
trademark. "Need a lift?  
  
"Raynor? By Adun, I thought I'd never hear your voice again. Yes, we need to get out of here. Can you send 2 Dropships?   
Our expeditionary force here is quite small, that's all we'll need."  
  
"Sure thing. Give them around 15 minutes to get down there. Raynor out."  
  
After Zeratul was aboard the battlecruiser, he stepped into Raynor's cabin to discuss with him the situation. He must  
tell him of this news.  
  
"En Taro Adun, Raynor," he began. "I have news for you, unpleasant to say the least. It's about my...findings on that   
planet below."  
  
"Hey to you too, Zeratul," said Raynor. "As for the findings down there, they'll wait for a sec while I tell you that we may  
have found a huge warp rift in the space directly above the planet. Thought you might like to know that...."  
  
"A warp rift?" Zeratul replied in something akin to shock, or maybe disbelief. "Is it a Protoss rift?"  
  
"If it is, it's on stimpacks," said Raynor. "It's enormous, about a quarter of the planet's size. Are Protoss rifts able to  
get that big?"  
  
"I've never heard of one that large before. Do you know where it leads?"  
  
"No clue. I haven't sent anything through to scan the other side. But, we have a problem. Just as we were entering orbit,  
a patrol of Zerg was detected leaving orbit. They know about that portal too, Zeratul...and if I know Kerrigan, she's going  
to want to go through and pay whoever's on the other side a bit of a visit."  
  
"Yes....we must stop her." Zeratul's face then twisted. "But how? We do not have the forces to counteract the Zerg Swarm,"  
Zeratul hung his head at the realization.  
  
"No...." began Raynor, "but that's not what I had in mind anyway. I was actually thinking about going into the portal before  
Kerrigan can even think about it. We'll see if we can shut it down from the other side, and if we can't....well, then, we   
just kick Kerrigan's ass when it decides to come through there."  
  
Zeratul looked Raynor over. This whole Brood War ordeal had been rough for everyone, but both Raynor and Zeratul were at the   
center of the storm. They had seen and heard way too much for any being to experience. Zeratul was glad that Raynor still   
had that cocky nerve, that the experience hadn't shaken him. "My friend, you are a bold commander. I applaud your   
initiative. Yes, let's go for it. The less I have to stick around here, the better."  
  
Raynor looked up abruptly from the space chart he was consulting. "Say again, Zeratul? I've never known any Protoss to show  
any fear, least of all you. What exactly did you find on that planet?"  
  
As Zeratul delivered his report to Raynor, the ship slowly slid towards the portal, towards the unknown.  
  
  
  



	2. Final Fantasy: Legends of the Zerg Invas...

As always, the usual disclaimers.....Starcraft people belong to Blizzard, FF7 people belong to Square/EA and Hironobu   
Sakaguchi. Feedback and C & C's are more than welcome, and honesty is appreciated. You can write me at Thrash58@aol.com.  
  
  
  
Final Fantasy: Legends of the Zerg Invasion  
By: Dark Templar Thrash  
  
Chapter 3: The triumph of AVALANCHE  
  
After making a couple of circles around the world to make sure Meteor was totally put out of commission by Holy and the  
Lifestream, Cid put down the Highwind (or more precisely, the emergency jet that was all that was left of the Highwind)   
by Cosmo Canyon. Immediately after touching down and opening the back door, a beige and black blur screamed out of the   
door. After finding a suitable spot, Yuffie Kisiragi promptly vomited.  
  
"You know, you guys owe me BIG," Yuffie said after voiding her bowels. "I mean, gawd, being in the middle of that big   
explosion, flying around in this hunk of junk Captain Fly-boy over there calls an airship, nearly getting killed by both   
Sephiroth and a huge evil Meteor.....I better be getting ALL of the Materia, just like in that contract I made you sign."  
  
"But Yuffie, I never signed it, remember?" Cloud Strife said. "Reading while moving always makes me sick, and you just  
wanted me to read it so you would have the satisfaction of seeing someone other than you throw up."  
  
"Cloud has a point," agreed Tifa Lockheart. "But, that doesn't mean that we can't work something out, right guys? I mean,   
Meteor's gone, Sephiroth's gone, Shinra's gone...there wouldn't be too much of a problem with Yuffie getting the Materia,   
right?"  
  
"Tifa, you ever hear of the phrase, 'famous last words'? I mean, shit, who knows when the next problem's going to pop up?"  
Cid reminded.  
  
"Do you always have to be so negative?" asked Tifa breathlessly.  
  
"Hey, I'm being realistic. You never do know when some evil thing's going to come a-calling."  
  
"Oh, who cares? You guys promised to give me the Materia!" whined Yuffie. "Gawd, if there was ever a problem, I'd lend it   
back to you to use, geez..."  
  
"Very generous of you, Yuffie," retorted Red XIII dryly, "but I feel it would be best if we each kept all our Materia. At  
least until we are sure there is no threat present after Meteor."  
  
"Whatcha mean, no threat?! What's gonna be around to mess wit' us after we fucked Meteor up?" Barret Wallace asked   
incredulously.  
  
"There is a good possibility that something or someone could try to seize power after Meteor's devastation." said Vincent Valentine in a flat tone. "Many people would jump at the chance to conquer while everyone's spirits and property and defenses are down."  
  
"You know guys, we could try going into town and discussing this, instead of out in the open," Cait Sith said. "I don't know about you, but even though this isn't a real body, I don't want it to get torn to shreds by some monster, and I don't want to see any of you in the same situation."  
  
"I agree with the puffball," Cloud said. "This is making me nervous standing out here and arguing. Think Shera would mind if we crashed here tonight, Cid?"  
  
"Shit, why should she mind? I'll go tell her to set some extra room in the living room."  
  
"Alright guys, in the meantime, let's mosey into town," replied Cloud cooly.  
  
"You know, you really have to learn a better phrase than that," Yuffie quipped. "It's so dorky, gawd."  
  
"Oh yeah, like you saying "gawd" all the time isn't?" Barret jumped in, eager to start in on Yuffie.  
  
"Guys, could we please go into town?" Red pleaded. "Being out here is making me quite nervous." He stared at a patch of the darkening sky that was directly above the ruins of Midgar. He thought he could detect an unusual shimmer to the stars in that area......  
  
  
  
Chapter 4: Reflections  
  
Cloud stared out the window, a fresh breeze coming in. As he looked out at the stars, he couldn't help but flash back to the well, so many years ago, where he met up with Tifa, and looked up at the stars with her while he made a promise. A promise to come back and be a hero.  
  
He was a hero, alright. Saving the world from a being intent on destroying it will classify you as that. But, he didn't quite feel like a hero. There was something nagging at his mind still. It has been much less severe after that time with Tifa in the Lifestream, but it was still there, a sense of longing, of loss.  
  
He missed Aeris. Badly.  
  
He couldn't explain how someone he knew for so short a period of time could mean so much to him. But, she had captured his heart, with her smile, her upbeat and positive attitude, and her sense of devotion to helping save the planet in the time of crisis, something that helped inspire him. Aeris was the reason that he saved the planet, in more than one way. He didn't know her role in summoning the Lifestream to aid Holy in the destruction of Meteor, at least not consciously. But, her memory was what helped him to go on and continue to lead AVALANCHE in the fight against Shinra and Sephiroth.  
  
And because of him, she was gone. Of course, it wasn't truly his fault...Sephiroth was controlling him, he couldn't help that. But, he couldn't help but feel responsible.   
  
At least he had his friends to comfort him and help him through the rough time. And Tifa...he couldn't have done it without her. He was really beginning to feel something similar to what he felt to Aeris. It was obvious that Tifa really cared about him...maybe even loved him. But, he was always so unsure of who he actually was, he had to wonder what it was about him that she liked. Now, he was much more secure in who he was, and consequently he began to feel towards Tifa what she felt towards him.  
  
All of a sudden, a soft rustle behind him and a word startled him. "Cloud?"  
  
He jumped slightly, then turned around quickly to see who had addressed him. "Oh, it's you Vincent. Don't you know you shouldn't sneak up on people like that?"  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake anyone. What's wrong, can't sleep?"  
  
"Nah, I just don't feel tired. You know, I still can't believe we saved the world."  
  
In his typical unemotional tone, Vincent replied, "Yes, we all did a great thing. But, I have the feeling you aren't quite content."  
  
"No, it's......well, yeah, I guess you're right." Cloud admitted. He didn't talk much to Vincent, mostly because Vincent didn't talk much to begin with. But, he felt like talking, and maybe the best person to talk to is one that doesn't talk much. "I miss her."  
  
"Aeris?"  
  
"Yeah...I feel so bad that she's gone. Especially since it's partly my fault she is."  
  
"Cloud, you can't blame yourself for that. You weren't yourself. You had no way to control your actions when Sephiroth controlled you. Besides, you were able to resist enough to stop yourself from committing the final blow."  
  
This did little to placate Cloud. "You think that helps any?! Man, I really cared about Aeris...and the way I show that to her is by nearly slicing her into cold cuts! Controlled or no, that's just too hard for me to swallow."  
  
"Cloud, do you honestly think Aeris feels that way?"  
  
"Well...." That took Cloud by surprise. He hadn't thought about that. "You know, you're right. She isn't holding it against me. Still, though...."  
  
"Cloud?" Vincent had suddenly picked up emotion, as he gazed out to the horizon with a look that could have been either disbelief, curiosity, or fear.  
  
"What is it?" Cloud turned to see what his friend was looking at...and saw a mammoth airship, around 8000 meters long. It was shaped like a T, and it had very heavy-looking guns at what could be assumed were the wings. There were several smaller, quicker craft flying in escort of this ship.  
  
"Uh......" was all Cloud could manage.  
  
  



	3. Final Fantasy: Legends of the Zerg Invas...

As always, disclaimers go here. Square and Sakaguchi own Cloud and company, Blizzard owns Starcraft stuff, and I'm just trying not to mangle the memories of these characters. If you want to feedback, you know where to find me, just click on the blue text up there.  
  
  
  
  
Final Fantasy: Legends of the Zerg Invasion  
By: Dark Templar Thrash  
  
Chapter 5: That's a MIGHTY Big Ship  
  
"Well, I've never seen anything like it, and I've seen just about anything that can fly on this damn planet," regarded Cid when summoned to look at the huge flying structure. "I'm amazed that thing can even stay up, it's so freakin' big. By the way Yuffie, what the HELL are you laughing at??"  
  
Over in the corner, Yuffie was snickering uncontrollably...at Cid's all-pink-with-yellow-hearts-all-over boxers. "Nothing...nothing at all....(snicker)"  
  
"Well, Reeve, what do you think it is?" Tifa inquired of Cait Sith. "Did Shinra have anything in their pipeline that looks like that?"  
  
The cat and the stuffed Moogle gave a quizzical look. "No, I've never seen anything like that on the drawing boards. Besides, that looks entirely too modern and high tech for Shinra. I mean, we could probably have built it....20 or 30 years down the road."  
  
"Well, if it ain't those Shinra scum, then who the hell is it?" asked Barret.  
  
"Beats me," Cloud said with a shrug. "All I know is, I don't like the looks of that ship one bit...Cid, think the Highwind can hit the sky?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess...why, you planning on taking that thing on head to head?"  
  
"What, do you think I'm crazy? No...I'm talking about a little recon mission."  
  
"Recon mission?" piped in Red. "What were you thinking of, Cloud?"  
  
"Well, I was thinking of having Little Miss Ninja and Vincent sneaking aboard that ship via airdrop from the..."  
  
"OH no you don't, Spikey," growled Yuffie, "if you think I'm jumping off of Flyboy's wreck onto THAT thing with the Wall over there..."  
  
"Wall?" asked Vincent with an odd expression on his face and an eyebrow raised.  
  
"Cause of the no-emotion thing, and anyway I'm NOT doing it, not for all the Materia in Wutai!"  
  
"Um, Yuffie, I thought that there wasn't any Materia in Wutai...that's why you always want ours." wisecracked Cait Sith.  
  
"Shut up, Marshmallow..."  
  
"ENOUGH! Look, Yuffie, it'll be just likewhen we airdropped into Midgar...you were ok then, right?" Tifa eased, trying to get some measure of progress going.  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Then what's the problem? Look, the sooner we find out what's going on here, the sooner you get our Materia, right?"  
  
"...alright. But I'm just saying I don't like this one bit."  
  
"Ok, it's settled then...let's go guys." Cloud ordered. "Let's pay that oversized flying T a visit."  
  
  
  
Chapter 6: Survey the Area  
  
  
"What is this planet? It is unlike any I have seen or heard of," Zeratul said.  
  
"Well, sure doesn't look like the natives are good housekeepers," Raynor quipped. "Look at that one huge city with the big gun sticking out of it...looks like it's in shambles."  
  
"Yes, it also looks fairly deserted. Some disaster must have befallen it's inhabitants recently; it still has signs of devastation from the attack."  
  
"You think this city was attacked, Zeratul?"  
  
"Well, one could only assume..."  
  
"Cause, this looks like some sort of natural disaster, if you ask me...destruction's totally random and unorganized..."  
  
"Sir, we've finished those telemetry and geographical reports on this planet," an ensign stated as he saluted and entered Raynor's cabin. "Seems like there was very heavy meteorlogical activity in that city below us, lots of tornados and heavy winds. Also lots of signs of big rocks and structures being thrown about. But, there are some weird residual energy readings that we can't place."  
  
"Good, Ensign...what about geography of the planet?"  
  
"Well, this seems like a fairly low-population planet. Only 8 major population centers distributed throughout 3 continents, and lots of ocean. We're over what seems to have been the main city, but it's deserted for the most part. The next largest city is along the westernmost sea of this continent; we're headed that way now, and should get there in around 10 hours."  
  
"Very good Ensign, thanks for the heads up. Have Communications keep in touch with the Protoss carrier we picked up, and also keep hailing frequencies open to see if we can't eavesdrop on the neighbors a little, see what's going on out there. Oh, and have a Dropship and my Vulture ready to take me to the surface...feel like taking a little walk, Zeratul?  
  
"Ah, Commander Raynor, I would be honored to explore this planet with you," Zeratul said formally, as he was wont to do. "When shall we begin?"  
  
"After I take a little nap...can't explore tired, now can we? Say, meet back up in around 5 hours?"  
  
"Alright Commander. Until then, En Taro Adun."  
  
"Night night to you too, Zeratul," Raynor said as he mulled over when his Protoss colleague would ever get a sense of humor. 


	4. Final Fantasy: Legends of the Zerg Invas...

Disclaimers nonsense here, FF7 and such are Square/EA's, Starcraft and such are Blizzards....no platypi were harmed in the making of this fanfic.  
  
  
Final Fantasy: Legends of the Zerg Invasion  
By: Dark Templar Thrash  
  
  
Chapter 7: Final Preparations  
  
As the Highwind flew towards the massive craft headed towards Junon, final strategems were being plotted out. Well, sort of....  
  
"I just wanted to say again, I DON'T like this one...."  
  
"YES, Yuffie, we are well aware that you don't like this plan. Tough," Red XIII snapped vehemently. He was really beginning to tire of the young ninja's attitude.  
  
"Would you go take a flea bath or something and calm down, Red? I'm just saying I didn't like this idea, that's all." a hurt Yuffie replied.  
  
"Yeah, you've been saying that since we left a couple of hours ago. Doesn't change a thing." Cloud stated. "Anyway, to business. Any readings coming from that ship, Cid?"  
  
"Well, like Reeve said, it's really high tech, much more so than anything Shinra's idiots could ever cook up. But, what I've seen, it seems to be stopping halfway between Fort Condor and Junon. Guess they're sending a search party to check out the surface," said Cid.  
  
"What makes you say that, Cid? Can you really detect people from this distance coming down from the ship?" Tifa asked in wonderment. No wonder Cid was a highly regarded pilot if he could create a radar that powerful, she thought.  
  
"No, but they have hailing frequencies open, and I was able to detect the frequency they were using. That, and we're about 1000 yards from them, so you can see the people that they're dropping off."  
  
"Oh," Tifa said, thinking to herself that she just made herself look rather dumb.  
  
"Hey, Cloud, you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Barret said with a mischieveous grin.  
  
"While we send Yuffie and Vincent to the ship to snoop around, we go to meet up with these characters on the ground?" Cloud finished Barret's thought.  
  
"Hell yeah! Why not? I mean, we can take 'em all out, easy as cake."  
  
"You know, it doesn't help to be overconfident," put in Vincent.  
  
"Who's overconfident? I mean, we DID defeat Meteor, right?"  
  
"Yes, true, but who knows where these people came from? Like Reeve and Cid said, that ship is quite high-tech...it is quite possible it's from the future."  
  
"What?" Cloud shrieked astonished. "Are you serious?"  
  
"Well, maybe not from the future," Red interrupted, "but from somewhere else."  
  
"Somewhere else? Whatcha talking about, Red?" asked Barret, not entirely sure he wanted to know what the lion-like one was referring to.  
  
"I've noticed an unusual...shimmer, to coin a phrase, in the stars around the Midgar area." began Red. "Almost as if there was a mirage there, in space. I wonder, what sort of damage did the collision of Meteor and Holy did to the fabric of spacetime?"  
  
"Ok, NOW you've totally lost me," Cloud groaned.  
  
"As well as everyone here," added Cait Sith. "What exactly are you talking about?"  
  
"Well, basically, so as not to go into a lecture on it, I'll simply say that spacetime is the fabric of our universe. What I'm postulating is, Meteor and Holy had a tremendous amout of energy, not all of which is understood. When you add the Lifestream that came welling out of the Planet...well, it's very possible that all that energy was enough to tear the fabric of our spacetime."  
  
"I sort of get it...but that still doesn't explain what that thing is and those guys are," Yuffie said.  
  
"I think what Red's trying to say, those guys aren't from this universe, or something like that," Tifa stated.  
  
"Well, thanks for stating the obvious," Yuffie sarcasmed.  
  
"Hey, watch your tone, Yuffie...it's not like you knew what was going on till Red explained it," Cait Sith said, standing up for Tifa.  
  
"ANYWAY, to get back to the plan," Cloud half-shouted, to get everyone's attention. "Now then, we'll fly the Highwind over the top of that thing and let Yuffie and Vincent drop onto the top of it...from there they're on their own. In the meantime, Red, you and Tifa come with me, let's go make a welcoming party for our 'friends' down there. Barret, you, Cid, and Cait Sith stay up here and monitor both situations. One of us is going to need help eventually."  
  
"Gotcha," everyone chorused.  
  
"Good...now everyone get into positions. Time to rumble..."  
  
  
  
Chapter 8: Contact!  
  
"You know, this is quite a breathtaking planet, save for that one ruined city," Zeratul mused. "This would make a good temporary home planet while we figure out what Kerrigan is up to."  
  
Raynor looked over at Zeratul from his Vulture hoverbike. They were with a small scout force checking the Fort Condor area and its many forests, with a Marine, a Firebat, a Zealot, a Dragoon, Zeratul, and Raynor moving along at a crawl pace. They had to be careful of any attacks, as the terrain and area were unfamiliar. And here Zeratul was, admiring it all. He'd never understand Protoss..."Yeah, it's a nice place alright, if you like little squid-things attacking you," Raynor said calmly as he noticed a group of weird tentacled beasties over about 50 yards away. "Zeratul, how long is the range on that Dragoon?"  
  
"He need only advance around 10 more yards to cover the distance with his phase disruptor. Should I tell him to do so?"  
  
"Yes," Raynor decided quickly, "and send your Zealot on either flank. It's up to us to hit it front on. Now, if you'll excuse me...Private, Corporal, come with me," commanded Raynor.  
  
Zeratul quickly followed suit with his brethren. "Dragoon Toridas, advance 10 yards and prepare to fire. Zealot Takruon, go to the left. I'll take the creatures to the right."  
  
And on they went, carefully so as not to alert the things to their presence...when all of a sudden, making their presence a mystery didn't have much import anymore.  
  
"Tifa, Red, take those Capparwires out hard and fast!" a loud and commanding voice shouted from the south. "I'll take them up the gut, you two go to either side!"  
  
At this, Zeratul and Raynor froze and watched these natives fight in a fury. First, there was the unusual dog with the headdress. He was a fierce fighter, with a flame at the end of his tail. /Surely this creature is a noble warrior, the fire on his tail signifying his internal lust for battle/ mused Zeratul internally.  
  
Raynor stared at the girl wearing the tight white t-shirt and black miniskirt. /Man, she sure can fight,/ Raynor thought. /Wonder where she picked up all those hand-to-hand techniques?/  
  
They then caught site of the one in the middle. He was the (they assumed) leader of the group. He was fairly tall, with a HUGE sword that was as tall as he is (a good six feet) and he swung it like he meant it. He was making mincemeat out of those things, and before you knew it, all that was left was cooling bodies, and our heroes.  
  
"So..." Cloud began, "where did you guys pop up from?" He wasn't exactly relaxed when he said this; he held his sword in it's usual ready position, flanked to either side by Tifa and Red, also in battle stances.  
  
"Oh, just thought we'd stop by for a visit, you know, warn you guys of the very nasty swarm of monsters that are intent in taking over this planet and everyone on it," stated Raynor matter-of-factly. He figured he should get right to the point with these characters, as they seemed to be in a position to do something about said swarm.  
  
"Right...a likely story," Tifa breathed through clenched teeth. "And I suppose you came from some weird dimension or something, and that huge ship is a spaceship of some sort?"  
  
"That is accurate," Zeratul said in his most formal Protoss tone. "We have come from our home planets through what is known as a 'warp rift'. It is something that my species, the Protoss, creates to transport from place to place. However, this rift we traveled through to get to here is not of Protoss manufacture, indeed it does not even seem to originate from our 'dimension', as you put it."  
  
"So, seems that I was right after all..." muttered Red. Louder, he said, "I am sure I speak for my friends here when I say that what you tell us needs to be explained further, with the rest of our group present. As for introductions...I am Nanaki, proud guardian of Cosmo Canyon, son of Seto and grandson of Bugenhagen."  
  
"Hmmm...looks like we found someone almost as formal and longwinded as you, Zeratul," Raynor kidded the Protoss in a low voice.  
  
"I'm Tifa, part of a resistance group called AVALANCHE," she said. "This is Cloud...I guess he's the closest thing to a leader that we have."  
  
"Pleased to meet you folks. I'm Jimmy Raynor, Commander of....well, I guess Commander of my own forces. See, we had a bit of a scrape back home, and my men and I are all that's left pretty much of Terran existence in our sector. Same for Zeratul here and his Protoss."  
  
"I am Zeratul, Praetor of the Dark Templar," he began dramatically. "We have much information to trade, much to discuss indeed. Might I suggest we do it in the comfort of Commander Raynor's Battlecruiser, the Hyperion?"  
  
"Sure, sounds good....let me radio Cid to meet us there."  
  
"Alright then, I'll send for a couple of Dropships to come and give us a lift...huh?" Raynor exclaimed mildly in surprise. "Seems they beat us to the punch. Lets see what's doing aboard my ship...report, Ensign."  
  
"Sir, we have a couple of intruders...seems to be a girl and some guy wearing a red cape with a metal arm. We haven't been able to catch them yet, they're very good at eluding us. Orders as to how to deal with them?"  
  
Before Raynor could say anything, Cloud groaned. "Uh, sorry, Commander, but that's our fault. Those are two of my friends and...colleagues, is I guess the word I'm looking for. I sent them into your ship to find out what you wanted here."  
  
"Ah, don't worry about it, Cloud. Ensign?" Raynor said, turning back to his communicator. "Don't worry about them, we already know who they are...they're harmless. Send two Dropships down, and shine the good china...we've got company coming over."  
  
"Aye, sir. Ensign Roberts out."  
  
***  
  
"I TOLD you guys this wasn't a good idea..." Yuffie said with an exasperated tone for what had to be the millionth time.  
  
"Yuffie, I thought ninjas were supposed to be stealthy?" Vincent said with just a hint of sarcasm.  
  
"Yeah, so?" Yuffie said rather loudly.  
  
"Nevermind, forget it. Now, where should we go?"  
  
Right now, our two infiltrators were smack dab in the middle of the very extensive internal ventilation system of the Battlecruiser Hyperion, and they had no idea where to go. So, Yuffie decided to take the bull by the horns...  
  
"I say we go, that way."  
  
And totally drive that bull to the depths of insanity with her ineptitude.  
  
"Um, Yuffie," began Vincent, "we just came from that direction."  
  
"Oh," said Yuffie, not phased a bit. "Well, then, let's go this way then."  
  
Vincent sighed. /At least this isn't boring./ "Ok, Yuffie, you lead the way."  
  
"Now you're talking, Wall-boy..follow me."  
  
"You know, I still don't get that Wall thing....."  
  
***  
  
Just as the Dropships holding Raynor, Zeratul, Tifa, Cloud, and Red landed, the Highwind landed at the same time in the spacious hangar bay of the Hyperion.  
  
As Raynor, Zeratul, Tifa, Cloud, and Red sauntered out to meet up with Cid, Cait Sith, and Barret, who were coming out of the Highwind, they all heard a weird "thwap" sound, like a ventilation grating swinging out and hitting the pipe it's connected to. After this, they heard a faint moan....and said moan grew in both pitch and intensity till...  
  
"....aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-OWWWW!"  
  
Cloud, Red, Tifa, Cid, Cait Sith, and Barret looked down at the sight. It was Yuffie, who had fallen through a grating in the pipes above, with Vincent sitting on top of her like a hen sitting on a ninja egg. Yuffie was screaming at the top of her lungs, a sound that was muffled by Vincent's hindquarters on her chest and face.   
  
"Gwt thwws idwwt opp op me!!!!!" screamed Yuffie.  
  
And with that, the AVALANCHE crew burst out in laughter. Raynor and Zeratul just stared.  
  
"Think we missed something here, Zeratul?" 


	5. Final Fantasy: Legends of the Zerg Invas...

Disclaimer time kiddies...FF7 and such are Square/EA, Starcraft and such are Blizzard's. And honestly, don't you guys think these things are no good for anything other than a few cheap laughs and platypus jokes? Oh, and by the way, little cameo coming up...not gonna say who, but he should speak for himself.  
  
  
Final Fantasy: Legends of the Zerg Invasion  
By: Dark Templar Thrash  
  
Chapter 9: Battle Plans  
  
As the heroes of AVALANCHE and the Brood War settled in, introductions were made. Afterwards, Zeratul went into his explanation of the situation.  
  
"The area we have come from has been in turmoil for sometime now," the Praetor of the Dark Templar began. "No one is quite sure how it began, but suffice it to say that the Terrans were attacked by the Zerg, an insectoid race of conquerors ruled by a malevolent consciousness known as the Overmind. The Protoss and the Terrans eventually overcame certain differences to destroy the Overmind. After it was destroyed, however, an infested Terran named Sarah Kerrigan came to control the Zerg swarm. Eventually she wound up destroying nearly all Terran presence from the sector, and decimating the Protoss forces as well. It was around this time that we detected the rift, and came through to warn whoever was on the other side about the imminent danger that Kerrigan and her swarm poses. Now the Queen of Blades seems to have her sights set on coming through the rift and conquering this planet."  
  
"Well, AVALANCHE certainly won't allow her to do that," Cloud said. "We faced down Sephiroth and Meteor, a few bugs won't be much of a problem."  
  
"Ewwwww....bugs," Yuffie commented.  
  
"You know, Terran scientists said the same thing when the first came across the Zerg...well, except for that part about Sephiroth and a meteor," Raynor said with a hint of annoyance. "It doesn't pay to be overconfident with these things...they're tough and they don't stop coming, and they have an almost endless supply of them."  
  
"Hmmm...you say an almost endless supply?" Red XIII asked calmly.  
  
"Yeah, it can seem that way. They reproduce very quickly."  
  
"Well, jus' how quickly is quickly?" Barret asked, not so calmly.  
  
"From a single drone, the Zerg can become a full colony with a full complement of warriors, support troops and support structures in a matter of days," Zeratul said.  
  
"Well, they haven't shown up yet, so we might have some time to prepare for them, right?" Cait Sith asked, not even as calmly as Barret.  
  
"Excuse me, Commander?" An ensign came in white as a sheet. "Sensors have detected a small scouting sortie of Zerg..."  
  
"Leave it to the Marshmallow to jynx things...." quipped Yuffie.  
  
"Wonderful," sarcasmed Raynor. "What are we looking at?"  
  
"Well, like I said sir, it a small sortie...3 Mutalisks, an Overlord, and a Guardian."  
  
"Hmmm, you're right, that isn't that much at all...unless the Overlord is full of Zerglings. All right, thank you Ensign. Have Captain Vermel assemble 3 Wraiths of his choosing, and have Lt. Commander Hayes accompany them in her Valkyrie."  
  
"Aye aye sir," the ensign said, and saluted and left.  
  
"So those things are here???" Tifa asked, not calm at all.  
  
"It appears that Kerrigan is attempting to find out what defenses are in place here to prevent her from coming through," Zeratul said.  
  
"Well, why don't you let us take care of those things?" Cloud asked. "I mean, it doesn't sound like much, I'm pretty sure Barret, Vincent, and I can take them."  
  
"Hold the phone a second, you honestly think that you can take those things?" Raynor asked incredulously. "Wraiths have trouble with Mutalisks sometimes, that's why I sent out the Valkyrie..."  
  
"Listen, I don't know what these Wraith things are, but we can TAKE THEM," Cid stated through gritted teeth. "If I can take down a Dark Dragon by myself, we can take those things as a team."  
  
"Alright, it's your funeral...Ensign?"  
  
An ensign comes from the adjacent room. "Yes Commander?"  
  
"Are Captain Vermel and Lt. Commander Hayes ready?"  
  
"Aye, sir, awaiting your orders."  
  
"Have them set out, but hang back and don't let the Zerg see them. Prepare a Dropship for Cloud and his friends here, and have it drop them off 100 meters behind the Zerg. We're going to let them get first crack at them; if they run into trouble, have Vermel and Hayes take over."  
  
"Aye sir." The ensign left to deliver the orders.  
  
"There, satisfied? Now, a few pointers..."  
  
Raynor was interrupted by a fairly tall boy knocking on his door. He was teenage, that was certain. He had a yellow bandana with black spots all over it, a large traveling backpack with an oversized red cocktail parasol slung across it, a magnificent pair of fangs, and a lost expression on his face.  
  
"Um, excuse me, would you happen to know the way to the Tendo Dojo in Nerima? I'm sort of lost..." the fanged lad asked uncertainly.  
  
Everybody just stared at him. Then Yuffie broke the silence. "What's a Nerima?"  
  
"Oh, you guys are lost too...alright, sorry to bother you. Curse you, Ranma, I'll get you somehow..." the Eternal Lost Boy, Ryoga Hibiki, said as he walked away.  
  
"Now where the hell did HE come from??" Raynor said, for the first time since he arrived at this planet losing his cool.  
  
  
Chapter 10: The First Skirmish  
  
"Man, those things are ugly," Cid said with a disgusted look on his face.  
  
"Yeah, you said it. How are we going to take them down?" Tifa asked.  
  
Well, they're all flying, so long-range weapons and magic it is. Vincent, Barret, and Yuffie take the front line. Red, you're the healer. Everbody else, strongest attack magic and Limit Breaks when you have them. Got it?" Cloud commanded.  
  
"Sounds good to me. Now, let's go tear them a new....whatever they have," Barret tried for a witty rejoinder, but failed.  
  
As they came up on the group, the Overlord was the first to notice them. He slowly turned and began to decend to ground level. In the meantime, the Mutalisks and Guardian turned and began to fire on our heroes.  
  
"Whoa!! Watch the big thing that looks like a crab, it packs a wallop!" Cloud said as he narrowly missed one of the Guardian's acid bombs. "Freeze!"  
  
At this last word, snowflakes gently began to fall around the Guardian. They began to speed up and become larger, until the Guardian was encased in a huge ball of ice.  
  
/That oughta take him out of the fight for a bit.../ thought Cloud to himself proudly.  
  
Meanwhile, the long range fighters were having a bit of trouble with the Mutalisks. The Mutalisks and those pesky attack creatures they sent out would keep bouncing around, preventing Yuffie, Vincent, and Barret from getting in a hit edgewise. And as the Overlord finally set down...  
  
"Shit! What the hell are THOSE things??" exclaimed Cid.  
  
Four Zerglings and two Hydralisks piled out of the Overlord. They quickly scampered over to Tifa, Red, and Cid and began to attack.  
  
"Alright, that's it...time to end this! ULTIMATE END!!!" shouted Cloud.  
  
Quickly, AVALANCHE was swept away, and the Zerg scouting party was engulfed by 13 Knights of the Round summoned by Cloud to beat their ass. After two minutes of pounding, the Zerg were no more.  
  
Back on the Hyperion, Raynor and Zeratul boggled. "What the hell was that?" Raynor asked, in shock. "You mean to tell me he took all those Zerg out by himself, with some sort of magic??"  
  
"It would appear so. These natives are much more than they seem," Zeratul said, in less shock than his comrade, but still amazed by what he has just seen.  
  
"You're telling me. We have to find some way to harness that power...if everyone could use that, Kerrigan would never be able to finish us," Raynor said.  
  
***  
  
"Hmmm....seems this won't be as easy as I thought it would be," mused Kerrigan. She had witnessed the whole thing through the eyes of the Overlord; she was fairly impressed by the power of AVALANCHE. "Looks like I'm going to have to pay them a visit myself..."  
  
With a mental command, Kerrigan called her swarm. Billions of Zerg began to swarm the orbital platform she called home. They swarmed at her beck and call; they prepared to transport themselves to the unusual planet.  
  
"Well, Jimmy, looks like I'm going to pay you a nice little housewarming visit. Hope you and Zeratul won't mind if I bring along a few guests of my own..." Kerrigan said darkly. And began to laugh. An inhuman, insane, wholly evil laugh that would send shivers up and down the spine of Satan himself.


	6. Final Fantasy: Legends of the Zerg Invas...

Well, we're back and in business! Sorry about the mammoth delay in between chapters, but I haven't had motivation to write for this in a looooong while. But, that's changed, and I'll be putting out chapters more frequently now. You'll notice that from this point on I'll only be releasing one chapter each post, unlike the two I've been doing; each chapter will also be MUCH longer than they have been. Well, time to get to it. Platypus. (You didn't really think I wasn't going to mention everyone's favorite duckbilled creature, did you?)  
  
Final Fantasy: Legends of the Zerg Invasion  
  
Chapter 11: Setting Up Shop  
  
"Not bad, not bad at all," the Queen of Blades said of her temporary new home. She had managed to slip an Overlord containing her and 7 Drones onto this planet, and ended up touching down in the Northern Crater. She had found an...attraction in the Northern Crater, something that drew her to it. It turned out that her feeling was well justified, for the Northern Crater was the perfect place for a base; it was very hard to get to, and once you got to it it was rough going within the Crater and its cave system. Also, while not finding any minerals or Vespine guysers of the variety found in her home sector, she found possible substitutes scattered throughout the crater, indeed this whole world.  
  
The minerals were very curious. They tended to form round crystals, of several colors ranging from blue, to red, to yellow, to green, to purple, to pink. They were quite abundant in the crater, and she couldn't help but feel unusual emanations from them.  
  
The gas...well, there weren't any gas guysers at all. What there were instead were areas of rock with cracks in them, and from these cracks drifted a green-white mist. It didn't seem to have the characteristics of Vespene, but then again, Zerg were highly adaptable. Kerrigan was sure her new Brood she was forming would be able to assimilate this substance for the higher order functions that Vespene is usually required for.  
  
There was one other reason that she loved this Crater. The creatures she encountered inside! The sheer amount of new mutations she could introduce into the Zerg to strengthen her ranks was mind boggling. In fact, when she killed those unusual blue creatures wearing robes and carrying a lantern and knife, she took the liberty of assimilating the DNA from it, and implanting it into the drones that would become the Hatcheries here.  
  
"Now, let's see about figuring out how to turn a Drone into an efficient extractor of that mist," Kerrigan mused aloud. Conquering a planet isn't just about who's got the bigger army, after all; you need a foundation to work from, and someone has to do the dirty work.  
  
***  
  
Ryoga Hibiki was lost.  
  
That in itself wasn't unusual, as this is his natural state. However, he usually recognized things such as flora and fauna as being from a certain country, or region. He wasn't recognizing anything here now; the trees were too yellowish in their bark for any tree he had ever seen. In fact, everything about this place seemed weird, as if it wasn't even Earth.  
  
"Oh come on, snap out of it Hibiki!" Ryoga berated himself. "It's not that bad. It's not as if you can get lost so badly that you wind up on a whole 'nother planet."  
  
Well, actually Ryoga....  
  
(Flashback to 12 hours ago)  
  
Ryoga was walking along a highway, staring at a map, totally lost, trying to figure out if he needed to take a left turn at that sign up ahead. As he approached the sign, he noted in passing that it said "Welcome to Alberquerque, New Mexico!"  
  
"Well, that silly American rabbit is always saying to take a left turn here...." Ryoga thought aloud. He thought he should comply, so he decided to turn left. When you consider where he ended up, it makes you wonder what would have happened if he actually ended up going left, instead of turning right.  
  
After walking for about a mile into the desert after his unfortunate wrong turn, he ended up at a gas station. Perfect, he thought, I need to go to the bathroom anyway. As he entered the Porta-Potty by the far end of the station, he heard some strange noises coming from outside. Had he not been in the middle of answering Nature's call, he would have tried to exit, and failed. Chalk it up to Ryoga's horrible luck, but he ended up taking an unscheduled dimensional trip, thanks to an incident involving a supercollider directly underneath the gas station, a crack in the foundation of said gas station, and the nasty wicked sense of humor of the Gods that make them pick on poor Ryoga so damned much.  
  
He ended up in a forest when he walked out of the Porta-Potty. Shrugging, he headed off towards the huge ship he saw in the sky; it was flying low enough that he could reach it by jumping if he climbed up a nearby ridge. "Maybe they know how to get back to Nerima from here."  
  
(And now, back to our regularly scheduled fanfic)  
  
Ryoga noticed out of the corner of his eye a large forest with a small settlement at it's edge. The forest looked rather deep behind it, so he decided to get some supplies in the village before trekking into the forest. A nice walk into a forest sounded good about now to clear his head.  
  
***  
  
"Gawd, those things are icky," Yuffie said in a disgusted tone, wiping some Hydralisk entrails off her arm guard.  
  
"Well, what do you expect? They're bugs," Cid said, equally disgusted but not as eager to show it as Yuffie was.  
  
AVALANCHE was standing around the clearing where they had their first encounter with the Zerg. It was a resounding victory, thanks to Knights of the Round. A bit of overkill, yes, but they didn't know that yet. Cloud walked over to a tree to lean on, as he was a bit tired from the exertion of casting Knights. "Well, that's that. Told you that would be easy," he proclaimed, loud enough so that he could be heard over the communicator Raynor gave him.  
  
"Yeah, I'll say. What the hell was that you blasted them with?" Raynor asked excitedly. "I've never seen something like that before."  
  
"Oh, that was just Knights of the Round. What, don't you have Summons where you come from?" Yuffie asked, as if they were retards for not knowing what a Summon was.  
  
"No, young lady, we have not seen something of that power before, at least not wielded by a baseline human being," Zeratul said carefully. "In fact, I daresay that there are very few things I have ever seen that powerful."  
  
"Well, there's all sorts of things you can do with Materia," Tifa said by way of explanation. "We can show you if you like, it might help you guys to fight these monsters that are coming."  
  
"Hmm, yeah, that might help," Raynor said. "Plus, you guys can check out what we can do too. We have all sorts of little gadgets and gizmos that would help you guys do...whatever it is that you do."  
  
"What we do," began Cloud, "is save the Planet. Which means we'll be working together for a bit Commander. I'm sure there's plenty for us to help each other with."  
  
"I like the way you think son. Well, first things first. Do you know a good mineral deposit around here, where we could set up base?"  
  
"Ah..." Cloud scratched his head. "The only ones I can think of are in the vicinity of Nibelheim, and that's all Materia. Would that be able to work?"  
  
"From what I've seen of it, it seems close enough to our minerals that we should be able to adapt to it. What about gas, what do you do for that?"  
  
"I think there are natural gas deposits around there too, Cloud," offered Tifa. "They should serve well, right?"  
  
"Well, we'll see when we get there. Now, where's this Nibelheim?"  
  
Yuffie glanced at Vincent, then at Cid. She then said, "I'm stuck with you losers for LONGER!?!? When can I get my Materia and get the hell back to Wutai??"  
  
Red looked pointedly at Yuffie, muttered something about impetuous youth, and walked towards the Dropship that was coming to pick them up.  
  
***  
  
It was a pretty glowing green. Soft swirls of light all around, a warm greenish glow, and pure and tranquil silence pervaded the area. Normally, most people would kill to be in such a serene setting; in this case, however, Aeris just wanted to get to the damned Promised Land.  
  
"Um, wasn't I supposed to go to the Promised Land after I helped stop Meteor?" Aeris said loudly, to the rest of the Cetra. "You said after I helped do that, I'd go to the Promised Land."  
  
"Well," boomed a loud, deep voice, "we did say that. But, there's been a change of plans. It seems that where Meteor was destroyed a large hole has opened up in the fabric of space, and an evil entity has made its way to the Planet. We need you to help stop her."  
  
"But how?" Aeris asked. "It's not like I can summon the Lifestream to surround and kill this thing, not like I did Meteor."  
  
"True," the Cetra mused. "Which is why we're bringing you back to life."  
  
Aeris blinked. And blinked again. And said, quite intelligently, "Huh?"  
  
"Oh, you didn't know?" the Cetra said matter-of-factly. "If a Cetra's body is near the City of the Ancients, all its wounds are healed, and the spirit of that Cetra can rejoin it's body. However, most choose to go on to the Promised Land. In this case, it is very fortunate that you were killed here, as the waters of the Underground Shrine healed you fully, and you can rejoin your body."  
  
Aeris's face went through three changes. One was shock of learning this, two was the joy of returning to the world of the living, and the third was....rage. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?? I could have been with my friends and Cloud when they needed me the most!!"  
  
The Cetra was unimpressed with her outburst. "Ah, but you were with them when they needed you most. Even though you weren't a physical prescence, your help in destroying Meteor was where you were able to help the most people, namely the whole planet."  
  
"Oh..." mumbled Aeris. "I guess your right. But I get to go back! Yessss!!!!!"  
  
The Cetra was taken aback by her sudden outburst of cheeriness. "Yes, well, you better get going. When you awaken, you'll be in the City of the Ancients, and you'll have a guide back to civilization, of sorts."  
  
"Of sorts?" Aeris queried. "What do you mean, of sorts?"  
  
"Well....he tends to get lost...."  
  
***  
  
Aeris's eyes flew open. She sat up, and took a deep breath. Then another deep breath.  
  
She smiled, looking for all the world like the Cheshire Cat. She was alive. She was alive!  
  
"I'm alive!!!! Yesssss!!!!!!"  
  
"Hello!!! Who's there!!!!!!!"  
  
"Eeep!" Aeris squeaked. Apparently, the guide was here. She looked down to make sure she was decent, and found herself wearing her typical pink dress and jacket. There was a hole in her dress where Sephiroth's Masamune ran her through. She shuddered and decided she didn't want to think about that, instead concentrating on finding her guide. She looked around, found her Princess Guard next to where she was laid out, and all of the Materia she had. She quickly placed all the Materia back into the staff, gave it a twirl to make sure it was still in one piece, and ran out towards the voice.  
  
When she left the shell that served for a house where she had woken up, she noticed a boy, slightly dusty from travel, off to her right. As she approached him, she noted several outstanding features in the dimming light. First, he wore a yellow bandanna with black spots all over it. Second, he wore a yellow and green long-sleeved shirt, with ties instead of buttons to close it. Third, he had a gigantic backpack on, with a red umbrella strapped across it. And finally, she noted when he turned his head and looked at her, he seemed to have a look on his face that said "I have no idea where I am".  
  
"Guess this must be my guide," Aeris noted. Louder, she said, "Hi! I'm Aeris, who are you?"  
  
Ryoga looked at her quickly, decided she wasn't another illusion like he found in the forest, and said "Ryoga Hibiki. Do you know how to get to the Tendo Dojo in Nerima?"  
  
Taken aback, Aeris said, "Um, I don't know of a place called Nerima. Is it by Gold Saucer?"  
  
Ryoga frowned. "I've never heard of Gold Saucer. What is it?"  
  
"You've never heard of Gold Saucer? It's this great amusement park, everyone's heard of it."  
  
"Well, he wouldn't have."  
  
Aeris and Ryoga both jumped. When Ryoga turned, he whipped his umbrella around and wielded it like a sword. "Who said that??"  
  
Aeris, however, recognized the voice after her initial shock. "What do you mean he wouldn't have?" she asked patiently of the Cetra that had spoken.  
  
"I mean, he is not of this world. He was brought here by accident in much the same manner as the evil that came through the portal Meteor caused. He can provide much help to you on your journey back to your friends. However, you will have to make sure not to let him out of your sight, as he has a tendency to get...misplaced."  
  
Aeris raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, misplaced?"  
  
"He means that I get hopelessly lost," said Ryoga dejectedly. When Aeris turned around to acknowledge him, she noticed that he was glowing a sickly greenish-blue. "Excuse me, Aeris."  
  
With that, he turned around, brought his hands together, and screamed, "SHI SHI HOKODAN!!" A giant green beam flew from his hands and into the sky, where it lit up the night for about half a mile all around.  
  
Aeris looked amazed. "How did you do that??"  
  
"It's simple once you know how to control your ki. I'll explain on the way. You'll have to lead though, cause I don't know my way around here, and even if I did I'd probably wind up somewhere totally different."  
  
"Um, ok. Listen, before you get to telling me about ki, why don't you tell me about yourself, and how you came to be here?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh, sure. It all started a few years ago, when I met this kid in junior high named Ranma...."  
  
With that, Aeris and Ryoga headed out of the City of the Ancients, towards Bone Village. Because Aeris was leading, they were actually going in the right direction.  
  
***  
  
Vincent walked around the Terran base that was being set up. He watched as SCVs set up a Factory and a Starport, all the while wondering what all the buildings were for. Off towards the distance, he peered off to watch the Protoss base get set up.  
  
"Amazing the differences in technology, isn't it?" Red crept up from behind. Vincent calmly turned around and said, "From ours to our Terran counterparts, or from the Terrans to the Protoss?"  
  
"Hmm, didn't quite think of which I meant. But in either case, it's a large advancement. I'm beginning to wonder whether we have the ability to keep up with these Zerg they talk about."  
  
"How do you mean, Nanaki?" Vincent was pretty much the only AVALANCHE member that referred to Red by his actual name.  
  
"If you think about how advanced the technology is for both the Terrans and Protoss, and then think that the Zerg beat both soundly back in their dimension, it makes us look like a sapling caught in a Zerg hurricane, a hurricane that can uproot oaks such as the Protoss."  
  
Vincent stared at Red XIII for a beat, then said, "Technology in and of itself means nothing. Sure, to a point it is very helpful, but in the end it's how you use what you have. It's the person wielding the implement, not the implement that is doing the killing. The implement needs to be controlled, and controlled properly, before it's of any use."  
  
Red sighed. "You, of course, have a point. Still, I can't help but think that maybe we've become obsolete, and we need to upgrade."  
  
Vincent unstrapped his Death Penalty from his back, gave it a good long look. "No, I don't think so. I have no doubt that these Terrans and maybe even the Protoss can contribute to our cause, but in the end, we'll do fine without drastic changes."  
  
"I wish I had your confidence. Though, I wonder...if you look at the weapons we in AVALANCHE wield, you and Barret are the most technologically advanced, with your guns and such."  
  
Vincent didn't look up from his rifle, but gave a rare smile. "You, of course, have a point."  
  
Meanwhile, off in another part of the Terran base...  
  
Yuffie was bored, so she decided to search the base for some goodies. It wasn't long before she stumbled upon the Academy, newly built and supplied.  
  
"Hmm, wonder what's in here?" asked the inquisitive teen ninja. She wandered down a series of corridors, with several doors branching off. Finally, she came to a heavy door at the end of one long corridor, marked 'Top Secret: Ghost Training and Supplies'. "Ghost? Wonder what they're talking about? They can't mean actual ghosts, unless they're doing research in the Cave of the Gi," posited Yuffie. "Well, let's see if the door's open..."  
  
Sure enough, it was (after a quick swipe with her Conformer to cut the lock). She crept in, surprised to find the room empty. One side of the room immediately caught her attention, as it had many gadget-like things along the tables and cabinets along it.   
  
"Hey, what's this thingie?" she asked as she grabbed a disk-shaped object. It was about the size of an armlet, and looked like it could attach easily to her armguard. There were two buttons on it, one blue marked 'On', and one red marked 'Off'.  
  
"Wonder what happens if you turn it on?" she wondered as she attached it to where she normally kept her armlet. She pressed the button marked 'On'.  
  
She suddenly felt a small tingle throughout her body, then nothing. Shrugging, she started to walk out, until she passed a mirror near the entrance of the room. She saw nothing at all, which wouldn't be expected if you were standing in front of a mirror. Paniced, she fumbled down to her armguard to hit the off button, to find that she couldn't see her arm. She felt around till she found it, and pressed the off switch. When she looked back at the mirror, she saw herself fade back in.  
  
She blinked. "Whoa, that was awesome! I can go invisible! This is sooooo cool!!" With that, Yuffie turned the cloak field back on, ran over to the table to look for more stuff, found nothing beyond a set of goggles, took it, and ran out. When she got outside, she turned the cloak field back off, put the goggles on her head, and walked towards the tent that AVALANCHE had set up. On the way, she ran into Tifa, who was hurrying towards the Terran Command Center. Sensing something developing, she yelled after her "What's up Tifa? Some meeting type-dealie or something?"  
  
Without stopping, she called "Yeah! Hurry up and get to the Command Center, Cloud and Raynor want to discuss how we're going to deal with the Zerg!"  
  
Grinning, Yuffie adjusted her new goggles and ran after Tifa.  
  
***  
  



End file.
